An 11-year-old was arrested and charged after he refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance at school. The young man, who is a student at Lawton Chiles Middle Academy in Polk County, FL, said he feels the pledge is racist and the American flag is offensive to black people. After he reportedly became disruptive, he was arrested and charged with disrupting a school function and resisting arrest without violence, Bay 9 News reports. He was also suspended for three days.

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The sixth grader also had an exchange with his substitute teacher during the incident that added fuel to the fire. After he told her he felt the flag represented racism, she replied “Why if it was so bad here he did not go to another place to live,” and he responded with “they brought me here,” according to the statement she wrote. The teacher then told him “Well you can always go back, because I came here from Cuba and the day I feel I’m not welcome here anymore I would find another place to live.” His behavior became disruptive during his arrest where he called school authorities racist, threatened to beat up his teacher and get the principal fired.

His mother, Dhakira Talbot, is outraged and hopes that the school takes disciplinary action against the substitute teacher.

“She was wrong,” Talbot told Bay 9 News. “She was way out of place. If she felt like there was an issue with my son not standing for the flag, she should’ve resolved that in a way different manner than she did.” She continued, “I want the charges dropped and I want the school to be held accountable for what happened because it shouldn’t have been handled the way it was handled.”

A spokesperson for the school confirmed that students are not required to stand for the pledge of allegiance but the substitute teacher was not aware. Talbot has a court date on Feb. 19th where she will be fighting these charges against her son.

2. Tennessee Titans v Miami Dolphins

3. Tennessee Titans v Miami Dolphins

4. NFL: SEP 09 Titans at Dolphins

NFL Players Protest During 2018 Season Opening Games #IMWITHKAP

Even though Colin Kaepernick remains unemployed he continues to carry the cross for the oppressed. Several players chose to demonstrate during the national anthem for the kick off of the 2018-2019 season.
Over the weekend we got to see not only what teams did their preseason homework but which ballers are still woke. Salute to Miami Dolphins wide receivers Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson who both took a knee prior to their 27-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Kap made sure to acknowledge the two via his Instagram account. “My Brothers @kstills and @ithinkisee12 continue to show their unwavering strength by fighting for the oppressed! They have not backed down, even when attacked and intimidated. Their courage will move the world forward! “Love is at the root of our resistance!””.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bng-xAMl5ao/?hl=en&taken-by=kaepernick7
While no other NFL athletes took the knee, others expressed their views towards the mistreatment of minorities in different ways. Dolphins defensive end Robert Quinn and San Francisco wide out Marquise Goodwin also took a stance by raising his right fist as a nod to African-American Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos who originally made the iconic pose at the 1968 Olympics. Additionally Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey and linebacker Telvin Smith Jr. chose to stand silently on the sidelines during the anthem.
A week ago Nike announced that they had signed Colin Kaepernick as an endorser for the 30th anniversary of their groundbreaking “Just Do It” campaign. In a surprise to many in sports media the National Football League formally responded to the advertisement relaunch. “The National Football League believes in dialogue, understanding and unity. We embrace the role and responsibility of everyone involved with this game to promote meaningful, positive change in our communities,” said Jocelyn Moore, the NFL’s Executive Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs. “The social justice issues that Colin and other professional athletes have raised deserve our attention and action.”
Today (September 10) the former San Francisco 49er confirmed via his social media channels that he will be selling “I Stand With Kap” football jerseys. 20% of the proceeds will go to the Know Your Rights Camp, a no cost program for the youth funded by Colin to “raise awareness on self-empowerment and interacting with law enforcement”.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnkNgdQgpuf/?hl=en&taken-by=yourrightscamp
You can view more photos of the protests below.
Via Deadline
Photo: WENN.com